Coupling for air-brake systems.



' v. P. TAYLOR. COUPLING FORv AIR BRAKE SYSTEMS.

Patented Aug. 23,, 1910.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

APPLIOAIIDH FILED n13.2a. 1910.

V. P. TAYLOR. COUPLING FOR AIR BRAKE SYSTEMS. APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 28,1910.

' 371mm for,

Wiineoaeo Patented Aug. 23, 19-10.

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ram-on, es nineteen, :t-rzssrssrrier, assessors or one-HALF. T0 wrtmaininstant-ass, or "arouses, 'rerssrssrrrz.

- QOUPLING' FQR AIRw-BEAKE SYSTEHS.

Specification of letters Eatent. ZPiatbented Aug, 23, 19M),

e anation nee February at, ieio. Serial No. seeeea To all whom it mayconcern.

=Richton, in the county of Perry and State of Mississippi, have inventeda. newand useful Coupling for Air-Brake Systems, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to couplers for use in connection with the pipesof air brake systems and its object-,is to provide a device .of thischaracter which is simple in constructionand the members of which aredesigned to automatically couple when the cars are coupled and touncouple when the cars are se arated.

lurt her object is to provide a coupler of this type which utilizes allof the parts of an ordinary airbrake coupler, with the addition ofcertain parts designed to make the coupling and uncoupling operationautomatic. a

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certainnovel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter morefully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention hasbeen shown In said drawings:-Figure 1 is a side elevation otthe coupledend portions of two cars and showing the present improvements appliedthereto, the air pipe couplers being shown in engagement with eachother. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the coupler shown in Fig. Fig. 3 is aview similar to Fig. 1 but showing the members of the couplerdisconnected. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view partly in section and partly inelevation showing the automatic cut-off valve.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference A designates a carstructure having hangers 1 depending from each end thereof, the hangersat each end constitut-v ing supports for a pipe 2 mounted to rotatetherein. each of the pipes 2 and each of these rin s has a rod 4:secured to it and extending bachward therefrom, the rod being looselymounted within the bottom portion of a hanger 5. A spring 6 is coiledabout each of the rods and bears at its ends against the hanger 5 andthe ring 3 respectivelysogas' to hold the hangers 1 normally in apredetermined position. A valve casing isseeured teens end Rings 3 areloosely mounted on of the pipe 2 and is connected, by means of .ordinaryvalve 9 located atthe end of the air pipe 10 mounted on the carstructure A. A rod 11 is secured to the car structure and supports, atone end, a stem 12-which is secured to and moves with a valve 13designed to swing within the casingi7 and to cut oft" pipe is'turned toa predetermined position.

A branch pipe 14 extends from the pipe 2 drawheads 'B of the carstructures, this branch pipe being perpendicular to the pipe 2 andhavinga short flexible hose 15 secured to it in any preferred mannera'sby means serves as a connection between the branch pipe 14 and thecoupler head 17 which is of the ordinary construction. The short section15 of hose does not destroy, to an ob jectionable extent, the rigidityof the coupler head 17 relative to the pipe 2 but, at the same time,permits a slight flexing of the parts so as to allow for any up and downor side lations of the twocars when the parts are coupled.

That end of the pipe 2 farthest removed from the valve casing 7, isprovided with an arm 18 extending forward from the end and rearwardlyextending lever 19. A guide this lever projects through it and isdesigned to be limited in its movement thereby, it being understoodthat, when the parts are uncoupled, this lever 19 is free to swingforward against the outer end of the guide loop 20 and at the same timeperlnit'the pipe 2 to partly rotate and to thus swing the coup tionshown in 3. Secured to theopposed car structure A and in the path of thelever 19, is an elongated loop 21 constituting means for setting thelever when the cars move toward each other, this setting of the levercausing the coupling member to move upwardly. Another loop 22 issecured-directly above the loop 21 and to the sanm structure, this upperloopb'ein-g so located'that when the lever 19 is forced upwardly icy-theloop 21, its-upper end will swing into the upper loop '22. .lt is ofcourse to he understood that the adjoining communication with the pipe 2when said at'the center thereof and directly. under the of'the car andmerging into an upwardly a hose section 8 of flexible material, to theof a clamping band 16. The hose section 15 movement thereof due to thechanging reloop 20 is secured to the car structure and.

ling member 17 downwardly into the posiends of the two meeting cars areprovided with the same parts which have already been described, andJthat both ends of a car are also similarly provided.

The normal positions of the levers 19 are at the outer ends of the loops20 and resting thereagainst, the coupling member 17 being thus helddownwardly extended as shown in Fig. 3. With the parts thus located, thevalve 13 in each casing 7 is in closed position.

When two cars are brought together and while the draw heads thereof arecoupling, each of the loops 21 pushes against the opposed lever 19 andswings it backward against its car structure A. The two pipes 2 willthus be simultaneously rotated so as to swing the coupler members 17upwardly and as these members are located directly at the centers of thecar ends, it will be apparent that they will be brought intoengagementwith each other and will interlock as they are raised.Moreover the'rotation of the pipes 2 causes the valves 13 to open thepipes 2 and establish communication between them and the air pipes 10.As each lever 19 moves upwardly, its upper end passes into the loop 22of the opposed car structure. It will be apparent therefore that the twomembers 17 of the air brake coupling will be brought together and lockedsimultaneously with the coupling of the drawheads B.

When the cars are uncoupled and move apart, the upper loops 22 pull uponthe levers 19 and move them toward the outer ends of the guide loops 20.The pipes 2 are thus forcibly rotated so as to swing the couplingmembers 17 downwardly and disengage i them and as the pipes 2 thusrotate they are i closed by the valves 13. The parts are thus ready tobe again coupled together when two cars are coupled and in the mannerheretofore set forth.

By utilizing a coupler such as has been described it becomes unnecessaryfor the per son to reach between the cars for the purpose offasteningthe parts together. Attention is directed to the fact that the couplermembers 17 and their connections 15 are located directly under thedrawlieads B and are protected thereby from any injury by any objectswhich might fall over the ends of the cars. It will be further notedthat the coupler which has been described utilizes all parts of theordinary forms of air brake couplings, the same employing in additionthereto, the revoluble pipe 2, the lever 19,

the coupler member.

parting from the spirit or sacrificing an of the advantages of theinvention as de ed in the appended claims.

What is claimed is 1. An air brake coupling including a pipe.

thesame from a car, a coupling member movable with said pipe, and caractuated means for rotating the pipe and elevating 2. An air brakecoupling including a pipe mounted for rotation, means for supporting thesame from a car structure, a coupling member movable with andcommunicating with the interior of the said pipe, car operated means foractuatin the pipe to elevate the coupler member, an a valve controlledby said pipe 3. An air brake coupling including a pipe mounted forrotation, means for supporting the same from a car, a couplin membermovable with and extending radially from said pipe, car operated meansfor actuating the pipe to elevate or to lower the coupling member, andmeans for automatically cutting ofi and'establishing communica ionthrough the pipes.

4:. An air brake coupling including a pipe mounted for rotation, acoupling member "communicating therewith and extending therefrom, saidmember and the pipe being movable together, a main pipe, car operatedmeans for rotating the first mentioned pipe and shifting the coupling'member and means voperated by the movement of said pipe for controllingcommunication with the mam pipe.

5. An air brake coupling including a pipe mounted for rotation,resilient supports therefor, a;coupling member movable with 10g andextending from said pipe, said member communicating with the interior ofthe pipe, I a main pipe, car operated means for moving the pipe in onedirection to elevate the couplino member and establish communicationwith themain pipe, and car operated means for moving the pipe in theopposite direction to lower the coupling member and close communicationwith the main pipe.

' 6. An air brake coupling including a pipe mounted for rotation, acoupling member communicating therewith and extending therefrom, saidmember and pipe being movable together, a lever fixedly connected to andextendin from the pipe, means upon the car for limiting the movement ofthe lever, means carried by a car for shifting the lever to elevate thecoupling member, and means operated by said our .for shifting the leverto lower the coupling member.

7. An air brake. coupling including a coupling member mounted forvertical swinging movement, a main pipe, car operated means above andseparate from said member for swinging the coupling member 130 serousupwardly intb coupled osition, and meansfor automatically estab ishingcommunica tion between the cou ling member and the main pipe during emovement of said coupling member.

8. An air coupling member mounted for swinging movement in a verticalplane,-a-main pipe, means under the control of the coupling memher forestablishing and for cutting ofi com: munication with the main ipe, caroperated means above and separate rom said member for swinging thecoupling member upwardly into coupled position, and ear operated meansabove and eparate from said memcars are moved apart.

10.- An air brake coupling including a coupling member mounted forswinging movement in a vertical plane, meansfor supporting the same froma car, a lever movable with said member, a guide upon the car and inwhich the lever is movably mounted, means upon an op osed car hearingagainst the lever to Slll it into a predetermined position and" elevatethe coupling member, and means upon said opposed car for receiving theshifted lever'to return it to its initial position when the cars aremoved apart. I

11. An air brake coupling including a coupling member mounted forswinging movement in a vertical plane, means for supporting the samefrom a car, a; lever movable with said coupling member; a lever guideextending from the car, means upon an opposed car for shifting the leverwithin its guide when the cars 'move toward each brake couplingincluding a and for cutting oil communication with other to elevate thecoupling mumber, means upon said opposed car for receiving the saidlever, said means operating to return the lever and coupling member totheir initial positions when the cars separate.

12. An air brake coupling including a coupling member mounted forswinging movement in a vertical plane, means for supporting the samefrom a car, a main pipe, means under the control of the coup- 1 lingmember or establishing and for cutting ofi communication with the mainpipe, an element movable with said member, a guide therefor and u 'n thecar, means upon an opposed car or shifting the element to elevate'thecoupling member when the cars move toward each other, and means uponsaid opposed car for receiv ing the shifted element, said meansoperating to .move said element and coupling member to their initialpositions when the cars move apart. 13. An air brake coupling consistingof opposed coupling members mounted for swinging movement within avertical plane,

an upwardly extending element movable with each of said coupling;members, means in one direct-ion, means uponea ch car. for hearingagainst the opposed element to raise its coupling member, said memberswhen raised being adapted tolock and interlock, and means upon each carforreceivingthe for limiting the movement of each elementshifte'delement and adapted to returnsaid 14. An air brake couplingincluding a coupling member vmounted for swinging :moyement, and earactuated means separate 1 from said member for swinging said memberupwardly into cou led position. In testimony?' that claim the foregoingas my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

VIRGIAL P. TAYLQR; a Witnesses: i

' HENRY BROWN,

element and the coupling member to their initial positions when the carsare moved apart.

